Description

This tour starts with a complimentary hotel pick-up. You are taken to the Mount of Olives for a panoramic view across the Jerusalem skyline. From here you can see into the Old City, Temple Mount and across Jerusalem’s oldest Jewish cemetery. The cemetery dates back 3,000 years and is still used today; there are approximately 70,000-300,000 graves here. 

We descend the Mount of Olives to the Kidron Valley that is situated between the Mount of Olives and the walls of the Old City. Walking through the Kidron Valley we see the monumental tombs of Avshalom; the Tomb of Zechariah and the Tomb of Benei Hezir. The valley features in the Torah several times including when King David fled from Avshalom (Samuel II).

We reach the Old City and enter through the 16th century Dung Gate set in the Old City walls. From here we proceed to Temple Mount where the first holy Temple or Solomon’s Temple stood until being destroyed by Nebuchadnezzar in 587BC. The Second Temple stood on the same site from 516BC to 70AD when it was destroyed by the Romans. Today Temple Mount is home to the Dome of the Rock and Al-Aqsa Mosque. Visitors entering Temple Mount are subject to strict security checks and no religious objects or weapons are admitted. See the magnificent golden dome up-close; the Al-Aqsa Mosque mentioned in the Koran and the Dome of Chains. Learn about the mount’s incredible history and why it is sacred.

Temple Mount is occasionally closed to visitors for security reasons. In the event that it is closed (and only if Temple Mount is closed) we will visit the Tower of David instead. The Tower of David or Jerusalem Citadel stands at Jaffa Gate and is a symbol of the city. The present structure dates back to the Mamluk and Ottoman periods although the site’s history can be traced back thousands of years. In the citadel we will see important archaeological findings and enjoy brilliant views from the Citadel lookout point.

After Temple Mount (or the Tower of David if Temple Mount is closed) our next stop is the Davidson Center, an archaeological park adjacent to Temple Mount where excavations have uncovered the walls of the city from the First Temple Period; steps that led up to Temple Mount; grand arches; Second Temple Period streets and ritual baths. You can see where Jerusalem’s main shopping street would have been during the Second Temple Period and enjoy displays in the Davidson Center Museum. The tour ends when you are returned to your hotel.